Wladziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987), better known by the stage name Liberace , was an American entertainer. He released several recordings through Columbia Records (later on Dot and through direct television advertising) and sold over 2,000,000 records in 1953 alone. Liberace's highly colored style of piano playing was characterized by some critics as fluid and lyrical but technically careless.